For the past five years, APSP's Manufacturers' Agents Council has presented an eye-opening seminar at the PSP Expo. The program is led by veteran manufacturer representative Charlie Gunter of WEK & Associates, a rep firm that covers the Southwest and Southeastern U.S. representing numerous manufacturers and their product lines.
Seminar Details:When: Thursday, Nov. 3, 8 A.M. |
This is a great seminar for those interested in alternative ways of taking products to market besides the traditional company sales force; many people in the industry do not fully understand how independent sales representation works.
"We touch the manufacturers, service companies, retail dealers, pool builders as well as distributors," Gunter explains. "We're involved in all facets of the pool and spa industry and have a deep understanding of how different products provide value to the end user."
Gunter lays out the argument in dollars and cents: "When you look at the cost of taking a product to market," he explains, "a manufacturer can sell to a distributor and then rely on the distributor's sales force to take the product to the dealer level. They can also hire company employees, who work strictly for them with a one-product focus, who tell their company's story.
A third possibility, Gunter explains, is to hire an independent sales rep company with multiple employees spread throughout a region to take a product to market. Companies should analyze the total costs and benefits of each method when deciding which route to take.
Both Sides: A Manufacturer's Perspective
The seminar's co-presenter, Chris Golden, vice president for Taylor Technologies, has come to see the value and overall benefits of working with rep firms. Coming from the manufacturer side of the equation, he does, however, also understand the initial reluctance some companies might have.
"It's what you know and what you don't know," Golden says. "We know we're not going to get all their time, we know they can't be 100 percent dedicated to our products and we know we'll be paying commission for sales. But how do we know that they're talking about our products? How do we know they're speaking correctly about our products? How do we know that those reps aren't just going to be order takers but will be knowledgeable and communicate the value to the customers?"
While such reservations have kept many manufacturers away, Golden is quick to point out that those concerns were quickly dispelled when Taylor Technologies started working with WEK & Associates five years ago. "It's been a tremendous success," he says. "When we started with them, we needed to develop our brand with retailers and they came and said they have strong relationships with that market segment in the territories they cover."
As Golden reports, those promises quickly became reality. "We had our salespeople go down and travel with their reps and make sales calls with them," he recalls. "We were tremendously impressed with the relationships that have with the retail stores and with the distributors. They were very sound technically, saying basically the same things about our products that we would say."
As for the concern that rep firms will inevitably have divided focus because they represent different products, Golden has come to believe that too is a plus. Since reps have perspective on how products in the industry relate to each other, and are vested in the success of those products, they are able to connect dots with dealers.
Above all, Golden believes that trust is the most important factor when working with rep firms.
"There's no way you can have a sustainable business without having that trust," he says. "That's one of the big things the best reps bring to the table. The firms that have been in the business a long time are still there because they've been holding up their end. It's great when you hear from a customer that they'll always see a particular rep when they come visit, because they're always delivering value. They're responsive and when they say they're going to do something, they do it. That builds trust and is the basis for success."
Click here to see a comprehensive list of PSP Expo conferences and seminars. For more information and conference registration, go to poolspapatio.com.
